Your Hiding Eyes
by DarkDefender89
Summary: AU Jake isn't who everyone thinks he is. They are juniors in highschool, and Jake recently became famous. But what dark secret past is Jake hiding, and whenif he lets Miley in, will they fall in love? Please REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Very AU (Jake is just becoming a star when all of them are juniors in high school. He has a dark past and he is in love with Miley but he is afraid to tell her his secret.

There were secrets. So many secrets. Miley was in high school now and there was a new kid in town. He had just moved to California and he had gotten a role in a TV show called "Zombie High" and almost instantly he became famous. Miley assumed that since he was famous he was snobby. He would think he was the only famous person in school. How did he become famous this quick anyways? Miley held her books tightly but Jake bumped into her in the hallway and her books fell on the ground. Jake bent down to help her pick them up.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked, with a cocky smile.

"I was until you bumped into me," Miley said angrily. As Jake looked at Miley's Biology textbook he frowned. Miley wondered what was wrong. She had every right to be mad at him, after all.

But it wasn't only a frown. It was like half a frown, half a smile. '?????' is what was going on in Miley's head.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked.

For a moment Jake didn't respond. He just kneeled there gazing at the picture on the biology textbook.

"Oh," Jake said, "Nothing."

Usually, Jake seemed so snobby and lots of girls crowded around him and he bragged about himself and gloated, etc., like most stars do. But today he seemed different. Very different.

"You're lying," Miley said.

"No, I'm not," Jake said, stubbornly.

That night, when Miley was dressed as Hannah Montana, singing "The Best of Both Worlds", "This is The Life", and "I've Got Nerve", and dancing, she was still thinking about Jake.

Then she mentally slapped herself. She was supposed to hate him.

'But you don't even know him. How could you hate him?' her conscience argued with her.

'He was lying today. Maybe this whole time he's been lying. Maybe he only acts conceited because he doesn't get hurt,' her conscience continued.

'Shut up,' Miley thought to her conscience, 'Besides, _he's_ hurting people.'

'No he's not,' her conscience retorted, 'and besides, he's hot.'

Before Miley could reply, her conscience said to Miley, 'And the way he frowned today, looking at your biology book….you _did_ see that didn't you?'

'Shut up,' Miley thought to her conscience.

When she went off the stage, she bumped into Jake. "Hey, Hannah," Jake said. "Hey, Jake," Miley said, trying to put up a mask of her own…a mask of cheeriness.

They talked for a while, but it was only fidelities…mindless chatter.

The next day in school Jake was late to school and the teacher let him eat breakfast in class. It was so unfair.

In about a week Miley found out that Jake was starring in a movie and that Hannah was supposed to star in it also. And there was also some creepy woman who was starring in it.

Jake told Miley about this and he said for some reason that he couldn't be in the movie and he was afraid and he wanted to go far away.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked, "Why are you panicking, Jake?"

"I'm not panicking," Jake said stubbornly.

"Yes you are," Miley said.

"I don't want to be in the movie. It's just…."

"What?" Miley asked, looking straight in Jake's eyes. She saw something she never saw in Jake's eyes before. She saw some weird combination of fear and anger and shy determination. She saw hidden fiery.

"Umm….one of the actresses that is supposed to be in it kind of freaks me out," Jake said.

"Why?" Miley asked.

"Does it matter?" Jake asked, 'I don't want her to see me. I can't let her see me. I didn't even know she was acting…."

"You're panicking again," Miley said again, softly.

Miley continued. "Who is it that's freaking you out? Hannah Montana?"

Jake laughed a little. "No," he said, then with a somber voice, "Not Hannah Montana." Then he mumbled something he thought Miley wouldn't be able to hear. "I thought I'd be safe in California. I'm gonna have to…..no I can't….but I'll have to…."

"I heard that," Miley said softly, "I'm not deaf. What is it you're really panicking about?"

"Can I trust you?" Jake asked softly.

"Yeah, of course," Miley said.

"My past is sneaking up on me. I kinda had a dark past," Jake said, "But…but I thought it was over. I thought for once I could be almost normal. I could just put on a pair of shoes and play the part everybody wanted me to play….but now she's gonna find me again…."

"Who?" Miley asked.

"And she's gonna track down the guy who took me in. That boat owner whose dog I always fed and he let me use his boat…"

"What are you talking about? I'm confused," Miley said.

"I think I have to go back to that life," Jake mumbled.

"What life?" Miley asked. "Listen…" Miley started, "Just tell me. Just tell me quick and once it's out you'll feel better."

"No I won't," Jake said. "Listen, Miley…" he started, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. No one was. They were the only ones in the hallway. "If anyone asks you where I went, don't tell them. I was wrong to think this would work. Jake isn't my real name. I never even had a name, except for the one my sister gave me….." Jake trailed off.

"Where are you going?" Miley asked.

"Home," Jake said, "Where I belong." He paused, and then added, "Not here. I don't belong here. I'm sick and tired of playing the part. That evil woman thought she could follow me to California, and leave my sister's father….I need to go back and make sure my sister is alright….she helped me all those years it's the least I can do. And then I can live in the wild again. That's where I belong. I'm not Jake Ryan, Miley…and I'm sick of pretending to be." He took off his shoes and walked away but Miley chased after him.

"Wait," she said sympathetically, "Then who are you?"

He looked her in the eye. He decided to let her in.

"My sister calls me Mullet Fingers…."

And he ran off.

Miley wondered if she would ever see him again.

Because she knew one thing for sure.

She was in love.


	2. Chapter 2

Miley was confused. Very confused. She had no idea what Jake had been talking about in the hallway, but she knew one thing for sure: he wasn't what she had thought he was. She thought he loved his fame; she thought he was in love with and obsessed with himself. She had been wrong. She had been very wrong. He had run out of the school building, but Miley had wondered if he was being serious. Was he really planning to leave, run away? He didn't look like the kind of boy that would run away.

Miley was sixteen and in eleventh grade. She had been finally been starting to feel….well, at one with herself. She felt confident, even as Miley Stewart. Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana were becoming so similar, that the only real difference was the hair and make-up. When she put on the wig and sung her songs, she wasn't going to pretend to be an ego-maniac. She was herself, but more. She was unbound and uncaged, free to be exactly who she is. As Miley Stewart it had always been a little harder to find the key to unlock the cage, but when she was with her friends, everything was alright. Everything was perfect. And perfect had seemed to be getting better and better.

Falling in love would ruin everything.

Was she falling in love with Jake Ryan? Was Jake Ryan even his real name? Who had he said he was? Mullet Fingers or something? What kind of name was that?

Miley turned on her radio, loud, trying to tune out her thoughts. Her thoughts were roaring in her head, interrupting her peace and sanity. She couldn't concentrate on the music. She couldn't concentrate on the lyrics. They didn't matter. Her mind was drowning with Jake. She was overwhelmed. She had thought she knew him but she had just created a lie of who she had thought he was. She had been wrong; so wrong. And she was the one that had been lying, by not giving him the chance all the times he had asked her out in the six months he had been at Seaside High school.

And Miley realized that she really didn't know anything about him. She only knew the façade that he showed everybody else. And what he told her during school earlier today, but she had no idea what he meant.

She turned off the radio and popped in a CD and listened to the song "Coming Around"

_From the beginning I was wishing that our first impressions wouldn't last_

_But then you came to me with something that was nothing and you kept coming back_

_Boy you kept coming back_

_Trying to get next to me I don't do well with flattery_

_I'm telling you to stay away_

_And boy you're really driving me crazy_

_But still there's something that you've got inside and you're trying to show me_

_Everything I've wanted I'm breaking down_

_I think I'm coming around_

_Coming around_

_Coming around_

_Coming around_

_Now I find you're on my mind_

_More and more as time goes by_

_All day every day_

_Boy you're really driving me crazy_

_But still there's something that you've got inside and you're trying to show me_

_And every time I touch you it reaches out_

_I think I'm coming around_

_Coming around (13 X)_

_I think I'm coming around_

_Coming around (6 X)_

_I think I'm coming around_

_Coming around (2X)_

_(A/N: this song is "Coming Around" by Brie Larson)_

Miley listened to the song over and over again. She couldn't get the boy who called himself Jake out of her mind. He was consuming her every thought. She couldn't just sit in her bed and think about him. She threw off her covers and turned off her stereo. She had to do something to get her mind off of him. She had gotten by sixteen years without love, after all. She didn't need it. She didn't need to fall apart through obsession. She didn't want to become one of those cliché girls people loved to read and write about. So she grabbed her velvet black bikini and her blond wig and decided that Hannah was going down to the beach. _'Time to dominate,'_ she thought to herself, _'Time to control my own mind and not let others control my mind for me.'_

She ran down to the beach, forcing herself to smile. She did a cartwheel in the bubbly sand, being careful not to let her wig fall off. But right now she didn't even care about that. What did she care about? Jake? Maybe. She'd always care about Jake, but she couldn't let that control her. She ran into the water and let the water cool her soul, laughing and smiling at her fans instead of trying to sneak away from the cameras and the reporters.

Let them say whatever they wanted to say about her; she didn't care. The magazines were hypocrites, after all. Plus they contradicted themselves. One week they said one thing, and the next week they said the exact opposite. Every day they harass stars for being skinny but they have a right to have their body any way they want it to be. And they can be with whoever they want to be with. Its their business, and if everyone else wants to talk about it, then they can go ahead and talk about it; they can even go ahead and laugh, but they can't really think they can control people. Magazines are stupid. Miley hid under a wave and laughed, letting her make-up rinse off. She took her wig off and emerged from under the wig as Miley Stewart, her wig already far out in the ocean (she had plenty more in her Hannah closet). She smiled. She was two people. What she did as one of them, she wouldn't be held accountable for as the other. Not that she cared.

Miley ran across the beach, laughing and looking at the seashells. It was the only thing she could do to keep her mind off of "Jake". She ran, alongside the beach, for almost an eternity. As she was running, she bumped into someone and almost fell down.

"Sorry," she said, out of instinct and habit. Then she looked up and saw that it was Jake.

"Oh, hey Jake," Miley said, "I thought you said you were leaving."

"I'm not Jake anymore. I never was, not really. It was just my pseudonym," Jake a.k.a. Mullet Fingers said nonchalantly.

"Well then who are you?"

"My parents didn't name me," he said. Then he told Miley the whole story of who he was and the past he was running from (A/N: if you are confused watch the movie "Hoot".).

After telling Miley about living in the wild and the boat owner letting him use his boat if he fed his dog, he told Miley that when the boat owner decided to up and move to California, Mullet decided to stowaway in his truck. The boat owner found him and eventually after a legal battle the boat owner adopted him. When the boat owner died, he felt almost like he had lost a father, but not quite, because Mullet had never let himself get that close to anyone. Then he made up the name Jake Ryan and tried out for a movie. Then everything fell in to place. Now everything was falling apart again because it wasn't meant to be. His evil, abusive ex-mother was supposed to be an actress in the movie Hannah Montana and Jake Ryan were supposed to star in.

After Mullet told Miley this, Miley looked up at him and put her arm on his shoulder. "You don't have to run away," Miley said softly.

"If she finds me, she'll try to take me back and hit me and lock me in a closet, or send me to military school. Or even worse. Plus, she left my stepsister's father and I don't know what's going to happen to Beatrice…"

"Calm down. You're panicking," Miley said softly. "We don't have to be in the movie."

"What?" Mullet asked.

"Oh yeah, you told me your secret; I figured I had to tell you mine," Miley said, "I'm Hannah Montana."

"Yeah," Mullet Fingers said, sarcastically, "right."

"Really," Miley said.

Mullet Fingers' eyes widened. He looked at her and realized that Miley's face looked exactly like Hannah Montana's face. How could he have been so blind to it?

"Come on," Miley said, "Lets go in the waves. It will distract you and clear your head. Then we can think about this more clearly."

"Okay," Mullet Fingers said hesitantly, linking hands with Miley. They ran into the ocean, almost smiling. Neither of them had shoes on.

"What should I call you, then? Jake, or Mullet Fingers?" Miley asked suddenly.

"What do you want to call me?" Mullet Fingers asked cockily.

Miley paused for a while, and then said, "I think Mullet Fingers suits you better."

They ducked underneath a wave, letting it temporarily swallow them. Once they surfaced, Miley said, "If you go anywhere," she paused, catching her breath, "I'm going with you."

"What about school and Hannah Montana?" Mullet Fingers asked.

"Some things are more important," Miley said, cockily. They were silent for a while. "But I don't think you should go anywhere. You should try to stick it out for a while." She paused. "Who are you living with, anyway, if the boat owner died?"

Mullet Fingers shrugged. "He had a wife," he said nonchalantly. "Not that she really cares about me. But she let me stay. Not because she cares about me, but because she wants to be famous and people to think she's related to 'Jake Ryan'."

Miley suddenly asked, "Why did you put on the ego-boy façade?"

"I guess I wanted to forget," Mullet Fingers said, "But now I remember that I can't evade it. I was born to live in the wild. I'm too different to fit in. I can't go on pretending any longer."

"Neither can I," Miley said, pausing, "But I don't want to be stuck. What would you become, in the long run, if you just lived on your own in the wild?"

"No comment," Mullet Fingers said.

"Besides," Miley said, laughing, "We have forests here. We can build a fortress there, and go there and hide when we want to be alone. You don't have to permanently escape to get by."

"Yes I do," Mullet Fingers said.

"Come 'on," Miley said. "Besides, what would the world do without their precious zombie slayer…."

"What would the world do with out their cute Hannah Montana," Jake retorted cockily. Both laughed. The sea water got into their mouths. It was salty but it was bittersweet because they were happy and upset at the same time. They didn't know what to do but they finally knew that they desperately wanted each other. Just neither of them could admit it.

They walked out of the water to dry off. People started screaming, "Jake Ryan! Jake Ryan! Jake Ryan!"

Once they snuck away, Miley said, "Besides, you're famous now. Too many people know you for you to run away again."

"I guess I'm stuck with you then," Mullet Fingers said cockily. They both wanted to kiss each other then but neither of them knew it so they just let the sun fall without a kiss.

"So I'll see you around?" Miley asked.

"Do I really have any other choice now?"

000000000000000000000000000000

The next day, Jake wasn't in school. In the hallway, during lunch, Lilly asked Miley if she knew where Jake was. Lilly was clueless, as usual. She thought Jake was only Jake, the hot and famous celebrity. "No," Miley said, "Do you?"

Oliver walked over to Miley and Lilly. "Hey guys," Oliver said, smiling.

"What's up?" Lilly asked.

"Nothing," Oliver said. He was spacing out, never all there, as usual. Then suddenly he came to it. "Oh yeah," Oliver said, "Jake told me to tell you that he had me buy black hair dye for him because he didn't want the media to know that he was dying his hair………."

"And you DID?!?!" Miley asked Oliver, angry, not believing what she was hearing.

"No! He can't do that!" Miley was screaming, on the verge of tears.

"Do what? Why can't he dye his hair?" Oliver asked confused.

"Yeah, why can't he dye his hair?" Lilly asked, just as confused.

"It's not the hair. It's _why _he's gonna dye his hair………" Miley didn't finish her sentence, because she realized that she couldn't tell Lilly or Oliver Mullet's secret.

"I have to go," Miley said, "I have to go, before it's too late…"

"Go where????" Lilly asked.

"I can't tell you right now. I promise I'll explain later…." Miley said, running out of the school building, not even going to her locker to get her things. She couldn't let him just leave again. But deep down, she knew that she could never stop him. So she'd have to follow him.

Softly she sang her song, "I've Got Nerve". Somehow, it comforted her.

She ran down to the beach to see if Mullet Fingers was there. He wasn't. Where else could he be? Where did the boat owner's wife live?

Then Miley remembered the address "Jake" had told someone. She ran, as fast as she could. She bent down to take off her shoes, because she could run faster with them off. She passed by all of her surroundings without even seeing them. She finally got to the house "Jake" supposedly live in. It was a strange, small house. There was a boat tied up in front of the garage and lots of weird nicks and nacs around the house. The house looked almost like it was abandoned. Did Mullet already leave? Did the boat driver's wife really still live there, or did he live alone? Did he just convince the world that he was famous Jake Ryan, and that he wasn't living alone? Did the boat driver leave him the house or something? Or did he just keep going once the boat driver died and just hoped things wouldn't change?

Miley slowly walked up to the doorbell and rang it. No one answered. Miley tried to open the door and it turned out the doorbell fell right off and the door opened.

"Mullet? Are you in there?"

No one answered. Miley looked around and saw an empty hair-dye box just laying there on the table, abandoned and cast off.

There was only one floor in the house. Mullet Fingers was no where to be seen. Miley ran outside to see if she could find any traces of him. She had to find him, because she was in love with him and she didn't want him to get hurt.

But it was too late. He was already gone, with wild black hair instead of wild dirty blond hair. But Miley would have still recognized him. His face was un-hide-able. At least, not for Miley. Miley would recognize him everywhere.

NOOOOOO! Miley wanted to scream. NOOOOO! She wanted to scream, WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?

But it was too late, because Miley knew that she couldn't go on with herself if she didn't go out in search of Mullet Fingers.

It was the only thing left to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Miley sat in her room, watching the tears slowly roll down her face, listening to her radio absentmindedly.

_Makin' my way downtown,_

_Walkin' fast,_

_Faces pass and I'm homebound._

The phone rang. Caller ID said it was Lilly. Reluctantly Miley answered the phone.

"Hi Lilly," Miley said nonchalantly.

"Hi Miley. Are you alright? You sound sad," Lilly said.

"Yeah. Nothings wrong. What did you call about?" Miley asked.

"You kind of freaked out about Jake at lunch today and then ran out. What's going on?" Lilly asked.

Miley sighed, staring at the phone. It was funny, ironic perhaps, that right now she felt like a zombie. She felt cold and numb and like she was going on without even knowing it. She felt like she was walking and bumping into walls because her soul wasn't there.

_Starin' blankly ahead,_

_Just makin' my way,_

_Makin' a way through the crowd._

"Nothing," Miley lied.

"Oh, come 'on. I can tell when you're lying," Lilly said.

"Well I can't talk about it right now. Call me later?" Miley said.

"Sure. Sui yourself," Lilly said. She paused, letting silence hover in the hair. But before she hung up, she said, "But Miley?"

"What?" Miley asked.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end," Lilly said softly.

"Thanks, Lil," Miley said. Both hung up the phone. All that was left was a monotonous drone, an empty telephone off the hook.

_And I need you,_

_And I miss you, _

_And now I wonder..._

Nothing made sense. And Miley had no idea where Mullet Fingers had gone. Was he really planning to go all the way back to Coconut Cove, Florida?

_If I could fall into the sky,_

_Do you think time_

_would pass me by? _

_'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles_

_If I could just see you... _

_Tonight._

Miley turned off the radio. She didn't bother listening to the rest of the song. It was too depressing. She took out her guitar and sang some of her own songs, but she stopped because that to was too depressing.

She decided to call Lilly and let her in on at least part of the truth.

Lilly answered the phone.

"Lilly?"

"Miley? What?"

"I wanna tell you something. Could you come over to my place?"

"Sure."

"But…what I tell you, no matter what, you can't tell anybody."

"Okay," Lilly said.

Soon Lilly arrived at Miley's house.

"Jake ran away," Miley told Lilly, "But you can't tell anyone. I think I know where he went so I'm gonna go look for him."

"I'm coming with you," Lilly said.

"All the way to Florida?"

"That's where he went?"

'_I guess I'll have to tell her everything,'_ Miley thought. So she did. She told Miley everything about Mullet Fingers. Even that she was in love with him.

Lilly just nodded. She said, "I'm coming with you. But what will we tell our folks?"

"Nothing," Miley said. "Hannah was supposed to do a tour to Florida in a week anyways. We'll just get my Dad to move it to a sooner date. You'll come as Lola." 

Lilly simply nodded.

But Miley still worried.

What if Mullet Fingers got hurt on the way?

What if someone caught him?

What if he dies?

There were too many questions, and too little answers.


	4. Chapter 4

Miley decided to not wait for her tour as Hannah Montana to go after Mullet Fingers. She grabbed her bike and rode over to Lily's house. "I'm leaving now, Lil," Miley said. Tears were in Miley's eyes, forming acerbic raindrops reaching miles in the distance. Miley didn't want everybody to worry about her but this was her only choice. She had to save Mullet Fingers before it was too late. "Now?" Lilly asked. Miley nodded slowly. "I'm coming with you, then," Lilly said, dogmatically. "No," Miley said without hesitating, "No need for two people to be missing." Lilly looked at Miley, and Miley paused midair, and then finished, "and besides, this is my mistake, my problem. I have to fix this." "Are you sure?" Lilly asked softly. "You will come back, right?"

Miley didn't answer that question right away. What if something happened to her? What if something went wrong? What if she couldn't find Mullet Fingers? She was swimming in uncharted seas now; who knew how many sharks were hiding beneath the waves just waiting to jump out and bite her. With a strained look in her eyes, Miley simply nodded. "How are you going to get there? I mean Florida is on the other side of the country!"

"I doubt he made it to Florida yet. He only left two-some days ago. And I'll do what he told me he did. Hitch-hike," Miley said.

"But, Miley, that's dangerous!" Lilly screamed.

"Ya think I don't know that?!" Miley screamed back sarcastically.

"Don't you think you should, you know, just let an authority-thingy or something know about Jakey?" Lilly asked.

"His name is NOT '_Jakey_'. And he ASKED me not to tell anyone. Because the "authority-thingy" is not on his side. And "Authority-thingy"?! Lilly!"

"Well! You know what I meant!" Lilly protested. "Maybe you have to just let him go, then," Lilly continued, "if, you know, he thinks its best for him."

"Lilly!" Miley screamed.

"Well, you said that was what he wanted!" Lilly said.

"Doesn't mean it would work! You know that!" Miley said. Silence hovered over them, and it was louder than thunder; louder than a cannon. "Goodbye, Lilly. If I'm not back….well, you obviously know what to do," Miley said, riding away on her bike. She turned towards the highway, and wondered which road Mullet Fingers took. It didn't really matter. She would catch up to him eventually.

Miley suddenly realized that she wasn't doing this to go rushing to bring him home. Obviously California _wasn't_ home to him. She was running after him so she could be there for him, as a friend. He thinks that he has to be alone for things to work out, but he is wrong. So wrong. Why doesn't he see, that solitude can't be the answer to every problem every time? Why can't he see that if he keeps putting this strong hiding wall over his hiding eyes, soon he won't be able to see anymore? It drove Miley nuts, that he was doing this to himself….that he wasn't giving himself a chance to be a part of society. Miley wanted to think it was better before he took his mask off, and she saw him only as the egocentric actor Jake Ryan. But how could that be? How could a façade be better than the truth?

Miley put the brake on her bike and realized she had been riding for hours. She sat there, on her bike on the edge of the road, watching all the cars hum passed her, like nothing was wrong. No one stared; no one saw anything unusual. No one saw anything wrong with a sixteen year old girl on her bike on the highway. No one saw that she was the item out of place in those magazine pictures that asks you to find the image that does not belong.

Did Mullet Fingers run down this very road?

Probably not. He probably took some back road or something. He probably cut through a forest or something. And when would he draw the line: when would he decide to stop running and start hitch-hiking?

Miley didn't know what to do. She didn't even know where to _start_ to look for him. Why couldn't someone just give her one little hint, pointing her in the right direction?? Why did all the answers always have to hide from her?!?! Always!! They _always_ hid from her.

She backed away from the road and stood veiled by a shady tree, and started singing her song, "If We Were a Movie." She sang as soft as the wind, but her voice carried with the wind, touching every leaf; touching every flower; touching every bumble bee. The wind doesn't lie; the wind cannot keep her mouth shut. The wind was the keeper of secrets, because it was omnipresent. Her secret was carried by the wind's soft embrace, and she wondered what the wind had revealed today. Miley softly whispered a verse she had written ages ago; a verse that seemed mystical. It was a song, but it wasn't complete. She wasn't planning on finishing it, because it was perfect exactly the way it was.

Why are the trees crying

Why do my eyes say you're dying

Has the Wind told you yet today

All of my secrets

Has it exposed

The gray mist beneath my soul

Can you still see

That my soul is white

Do you still know

What my eyes are saying?

Miley closed her eyes, letting her soul reach out as the wind brushed against her bare back (she was wearing a halter-top). Then Miley sighed and got back on her bike, riding further and further into the far away. She rode, listening to the sound of her wheals pushing against the pavement. She listened to all the subtle noises she had never bothered to hear, and today she realized that they were the noises of angels crying. The sound of the wind was really no less than the sound of music. It was an angel's fingertips, gently caressing Miley's bony shoulder. Miley rode, for hours and hours, surrounded by nothingness and sheer determination………


	5. Chapter 5

Back in Coconut Cove, it was raining, which was weird, for Florida. About a month ago, everything was normal….or at least, the bezerk and craziness it always was….but that didn't last. Beatrice was laying in the old abandoned boathouse her brother, Mullet Fingers, used to live in. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her tears had smudged her black mascara and it was running down her face. There was blood splattered all over her leg and waist-line, a somber mixture of her blood and her fathers. Lonna had finally completed the job she had set out from the beginning to complete: she killed Beatrice's father. Beatrice had been coming down the stairs to get a glass of lemonade, and her parents were fighting, as they did every night. And as it did every night, things got hectic. But this night, they got out of control, and they had went passed the line where you can decide to go back to the beginning and start over. It started with Beatrice's father saying something Lonna disagreed with (what _did_ she agree with?). Lonna threw the telephone at him and it smacked him straight in the chin. They started yelling louder and louder and the fight moved out to the driveway and Lonna tried to run him over with his car-after throwing all of his suits out on the driveway. That got him pretty angry, because they were pretty much the only thing he spent a lot of money on.

Finally Lonna got out of the car, holding a huge, sharp knife. When she lunged towards Beatrice's father, Beatrice, who had watching the whole thing with wide eyes, hiding behind a bush waiting to jump out and save her father if things got out of hand, jumped in front of the father, and the knife gashed into her thigh. It was dark out; it was probably past midnight, so Beatrice wasn't prepared for Lonna to pull a gun out of her jeans and shoot Beatrice's father straight in the chest as soon as Beatrice fell over in the ground in pain and was out of shooting-range. Not that she wouldn't have loved to kill Beatrice, too.

Beatrice's father died on the spot. He collapsed to the ground, and his neck went limp. Beatrice tried to shake him; she tried to 'wake him up', but she wasn't naïve. It was pointless, because his heart beat had already stopped and he wasn't breading. She rested her cheek on his chest and icy tears fell from her blue eyes in pain. "No…" she wailed even though she didn't usually cry. She had never seen the only person who was left in her life that she loved be shot right in front of her. She looked at her father. He hadn't been the strongest man in the world, but he had been _her _hero. He had been her reason for staying, for holding out and not running off like her brother did.

But she didn't have to stay anymore. And she didn't want the witch to know that she was crying. She didn't want the witch to feel her sick little satisfying feeling of knowing she made somebody hurt. So Beatrice ran away, to the abandoned boat her brother used to live in before he died. It was all she had left. It was hard to run, with blood gushing out of her left leg, but the emotional pain and adrenaline and anger outweighed the physical pain of the bleeding wound. She laid down in the now empty, _completely_ abandoned boat, feeling completely like a loser; completely like an outcast; completely like life didn't matter any more and there was no reason to try to become something if she didn't have anyone. Now, she was completely alone in the world. She was a loner, a tough, offbeat tomboy, at school, but two years ago, she had her brother, and her father. Now, she didn't even have her father. For a while, there was that Roy kid, but his family moved again.

Beatrice stared up at the empty ceiling of the abandoned boat with tomblike eyes. It wasn't fair. Her whole life had been flushed down the toilet. Not that it had ever been much of anything, but she had been content with the small amount she had. Happy, almost. But now she would never make it to "happy" again. She had been close, when her brother let her into her life, to forgetting her shaky, unstable life. Even before her father married Lonna, there had been problems. Her father was a pro-baseball player, but he was also an alcoholic. Plus, he had gone from woman to woman to woman, and all of them had been….well, not the kind of woman you would imagine true love being made of. But sometimes, it's good to just forget the past and Beatrice had been so close to doing that. But now, she's back to ground zero, and sinking further. She was stuck on the ground, with no ups. There were only downs. Only downs. How much farther would she tumble before she realized it was ceaseless tunnel, and all of the people around her would always be trying to dig it deeper and deeper?

Beatrice slowly cried herself to sleep, tasting a small drop of her acerbic tears for dinner. The only thing left to do was to cry and sleep, because now it was for real, no one could see her. No one. No one at all.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Miley Stewart continued riding her bike, hoping that she would bump into Mullet Fingers. It felt like she had been riding her bike forever, and she was as tired as hell. The sky was pitch black, and Miley realized that it was at least midnight by now, if not later. How long had she been riding? Miley sighed, bringing her hand up to her face to wipe off what was a combination of sweat and tears. She dragged her bike into the forest besides the road (she had found a side road that was alongside a forest, since she figured Mullet Fingers would probably near or in a forest somewhere, walking towards his destination. Unless, of course, he was already hitch-hiking) and let it fall down besides a tree. She looked around for a safe place to sleep and she realized that there _was no_ safe place to sleep. No place is safe when a person is sixteen and a half years old, out in the middle of nowhere, and stranded. No one was there. No one but Miley. Miley realized that, if someone wanted to, they could easily kill her. Without blinking an eye, she could be dead. In a split second, if there was some sicko lurking out in the middle of the forest waiting to capture and strangle to death…or rape….some teenage girl, she could be dead. It might be outlandish thinking, but she was out in the world now. It didn't just happen to "other people", because to "other people", she was one of the "other people" who were vulnerable of getting abducted or kidnapped or raped or murdered. Believing you won't get killed because you are you and bad things only happen to people who aren't you, doesn't make you invulnerable to bad things. And, Miley realized, Mullet Fingers could be dead right now. Sure, he was strong, way stronger than Miley, but there were people out there in the world who were way stronger than _even him_ and could easily overpower him.

WHY?!?!?! Miley wanted to scream. WHY, WHY, WHY!?!?!?!?!? Why did my love story have to be the one that has only bitter and pain than sweet and happiness? WhY, wHy, WhY?!?!?!?! Miley closed her eyes and prayed to God that Mullet Fingers was alright, and that her love story wouldn't be shattered, because, really, that was the only thing she could do.

And then she closed her eyes and fell asleep, practically out in the open where anyone who wanted to shoot her could.

They might as well, if she didn't find the one boy she loved...the one boy who she used to hate but was now madly in love with….the one boy who could save her life.


	6. Chapter 6

Miley woke up. For a second she forgot where she was, and wondered what she was doing in the woods. Then she remembered, she was searching for Mullet Fingers. She looked around. It was still dark out. It still must be pretty early in the morning, Miley figured. Oh well. She was a little tired but she figured she had to get a head start if she was going to catch up to Mullet Fingers. Miley groped around for the handle bar of her bike. She found it and pulled her bike upright and got on it and started riding, even though it was still dark out. She did the same thing the next day, and the day after that.

She stayed close to the forest, riding alongside the trees. She rode for what seemed like forever and then she bumped into a tree branch and fell from her bike. "Ow," she said, rubbing her head.

"Sorry," she heard someone say. Miley looked up and she saw someone standing in front of her. She hadn't bumped into a tree at all. In the dark, Miley couldn't see who it was, but she didn't recognize the voice. It wasn't someone she knew. But it didn't sound like anyone who was going to try and hurt her, either. "Who are you?" Miley asked. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the person said. By the voice, Miley estimated that the person was probably female.

"Well, _that_," Miley said, "is none of your business."

"Well who are you?" the person asked.

"I don't go around giving my name to random strangers," Miley said matter-of-factly.

"Well, _fine_," the person said stubbornly.

Miley suddenly noticed a dirty white car. "Is that your car?" Miley asked.

"Nope. I stole it," the person said.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Miley asked.

"Nope. I'm running away," the person said.

"Why?" Miley asked.

"Because my stepmother killed my father and indirectly killed my brother….wait, why am I telling you this?" the person said.

It was dark out, but that didn't stop Miley from noticing that there were tears in the person's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Miley said softly.

"It's not your fault," the person said.

"Wait a minute…" Miley started, "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," the person said.

"You're that…um…that person…" Miley started.

"_What_ are you talking about?!!" the person said.

"Ever heard of Jake Ryan?" Miley asked.

"Nope. I stopped watching TV and I stopped reading magazines after my brother died. So, I probably haven't."

"That's weird," Miley said, "But not unusual….for who you are."

"Who am I?" the person asked.

"I think I have something I need to tell you…that you might wanna know…..if you are who I think you are," Miley said.

"Um….okay," the person said. Miley reached into her backpack and reached for a picture of Jake Ryan, but before she showed it to the person, she said, "Jake Ryan moved to Malibu, California about a year and a half ago. Does a year and a half ago sound familiar to you? Don't answer that. Anyways, he instantly became famous as being an actor, and I thought he was just a pompous, cocky celebrity…..

The person interrupted, confused. 'Why are you telling me this?"

"You'll see soon, if you are who I think you are," Miley said and then continued, "But then I found out who he really was and fell in love with him and then just about a week and a half ago he ran away and since about a week and a half minus one day I've been looking for him and Jake Ryan isn't his real name…

Miley showed the girl his picture

…..but I think you already know that."

"My brother," the girl said softly, completely in shock. "Alive…"

And then she was angry. I would be, too, if I had been led to believe my brother was dead for two or more years.

"How could he lie to me?!?! How could he make me think he's dead?!?!" she yelled.

Miley put her arm on her shoulder. "Calm down. But, he might be dead. Out here in the wild, who knows…."

The person suddenly regained herself. "He can handle the wild. He's an expert. It's his only real home." Then the person said, "Oh, I never really introduced myself. The name's Beatrice. Beatrice Leep." After a while she said, "And you are?"

"I'm Miley. Miley Stewart." After silence, Miley said, "How did you get all the way out here? Mullet Fingers said you lived in Florida…."

"He told you he was Mullet Fingers?" Beatrice asked.

"Yeah," Miley said.

"That must mean he really cares about you a lot," Beatrice said, "Because he doesn't tell just anybody that."

"I know," Miley said. They stood, staring up at the dark sky. It was getting closer and closer to morning, but neither of them was alone. They watched the sun rise, with its glorious oranges and reds.

"Lets go find him," Beatrice said, and they both got into the car Beatrice stole, throwing Miley's bike into the back of the car. When you try to look for someone by yourself, there's not much of a chance that you'll find him. But if you team up with a friend….well, lets just say that that can be the stuff of legends.


	7. Chapter 7

(3rd person ambiguous-which means we can see what each character is thinking)

Beatrice opened the door to the black car and dragged herself into the driver's seat. Everything was the same, yet at the same time everything was so different. Beatrice stared at the girl who was standing on the other side of the car, leaning against the door to the passenger seat. How much did she know? How much was real, and how much was fiction dressing up behind the curtains, coming out all dolled up as a façade? Where was the line between truth and lies? The line between good and evil, black and white? It was blurring; like white noise shredding apart, breaking the sound barrier, forcing the silence to explode.

Her father was dead. She had thought her brother was dead, but she should have known that he was stronger. She should have known that he doesn't give up. The girl…Miley….got into the car. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Beatrice said numbly, "I'll be fine."

But Miley knew better. Miley could see the pain hiding in Beatrice's eyes. "Don't worry, we're going to find him," Miley said. There was a subtle strength in her voice….a strength that may have been hiding; a strength that no one ever knew it was there. Maybe when she sang, the world could hear a tiny piece of it through Hannah Montana. Yet it was more than that; a strength that only resurfaced when it needed to; yet it always did. It never failed to resurface alive.

Beatrice nodded and turned the ignition key in the car. She started driving, staring out in front of her, her eyes wide. She stared at the world convulsed before her, growing bigger and bigger. The dark sky looked intimidating, but not as intimidating as the frozen figurines of the past, haunting her every move.

And there were no "good days" any more. They were gone. Like her father, they were murdered. They had vanished into thin air. It sounds cliché, but it's true. As Beatrice drove, inside her mind she felt like a drone, just continuing for no reason at all. She felt empty. Even if her brother was alive; even if he was who Miley said he was…….then he had changed. Miley said he had become "Jake Ryan"; he had put on the mask of a celebrity.

Well, every masquerade has a price. And no matter how much you don't want them to, they change you. If a person goes on pretending to be someone or something for long enough, then he or she would become it. Beatrice knew that well. When she was little, she put up the masquerade that she was hard-core, angry, and strong.

What was she now? Hard-core, angry? Was she strong? She didn't feel strong. She felt empty and drained; her body was rendered powerless.

"It's really gonna be okay," Miley said softly.

Would it be okay? Could it be okay? Maybe. Maybe it would. But now…now she drove. It seemed like she was driving aimlessly, but they were going in one direction. They didn't know their destination, but they knew that they would get there eventually.

Miley turned the radio on and started ( ) the different stations. "Hide" by Joy Williams was playing.

_To anyone who hides behind a smile_

_To anyone who hold there pain inside_

_To anyone who thinks they're not good enough_

_To anyone who feels unworthy of love_

_To anyone who ever closed the door_

_Closed their eyes and locked themselves away_

_You don't have to hide_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_You don't have to face this on your own_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_So come out, come out_

_Come out wherever you are_

_Anyone who's trying to cover up their scars_

_To anyone who's ever made a big mistake_

_We've all been there so don't be ashamed_

_So come out, come out and join the rest of us_

_You've been alone for way to long_

_You don't have to hide_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_You don't have to face this on your own_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_And if you feel like no one understands_

_Come to the one with scars on His hands_

_Cause He knows where you are and where you've been_

_His scars will heal you if you let Him_

_You don't have to hide_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_You don't have to face this on your own_

_You don't have to hide anymore_

_You don't have to…_

_You don't have to hide_

_Come out, come out wherever you are_

_You don't have to hide_

_Come out, come out_

_Come out wherever you are_

_You don't have to hide_

_You don't have to…_

Darkness surrounded them, but soon the Sun would be rising. Beatrice felt blank, and depressed. She felt her head spinning out of control. She wasn't able to keep going. Before either of them knew it, the car felt like it was spinning. Amidst the darkness and the scars burning at their flesh, neither one of them realized what was happening. One second, their eyes were open. The next second, there was a tree, and it was too late to try to adjust the steering wheel.

No one heard them scream; no one saw their car flip upside down into a muddy pit besides an abandoned road. No one saw the darkness, because darkness is blind. In the distance locust silently sang. A mythical silence hovered in midair, wavering from shades of gray to shades of black and back.

The black car was stuck, dead and broken, sunk in the pit like a fish out of the water. Dirt clouded the car's window, shrouding the slightest flecks of light that could possibly slip in.

The back of the car was crushed, burning, seething in flames. But the front of the car, well, the radio was still playing, wavering on and off, subtle in it's strength, but, nonetheless, still playing. Softly, barely there, "Through Fire And Flames" (by Dragonforce) was playing.

_On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light_

_In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight_

_And the darkness is falling down and the times are tough all right_

_The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight_

_Fighting high, fighting on for the steel_

_Through the wastelands evermore_

_The scattered souls will feel the hell that is wasted on the shores_

_On the blackest waves in history_

_We watch them as they go_

_Through fire, pain and once again we know_

_So now we fly ever free_

_We're free before the thunderstorm_

_On towards the wilderness our quest carries on_

_Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight_

_Deep inside our hearts and all our souls_

_Chorus_

_So far away we wait for the day_

_For the lights are so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on_

_As the red day is dawning_

_And the lightning cracks the sky_

_They raise their hands to the heavens above_

_As we send them to their lies_

_Running back through the mid-morning light_

_There's a burning in my heart_

_We're banished from the time in the fallen land_

_To a light beyond the stars_

_In the blackest dreams we do believe_

_Our destiny this time_

_And endlessly we'll all be free tonight_

_And on the wings of a dream_

_So far beyond reality_

_All alone in desperation_

_Now the time is gone_

_Lost inside you'll never find_

_Lost within my own mind_

_Day after day this misery must go on_

_Chorus_

_Now here we stand with their blood on our hands_

_We've fought so hard now can we understand?_

_I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can_

_For freedom of every man_

_Chorus_

After what could have been hours; or what could have been days; or simply minutes (no one really knew), a silent whisper arose from all of the blood and crushed glass. Miley and Beatrice were trapped unconscious, upside down in a broken car. At least, they were unconscious. An arm weakly reached for the door, slowly stirring. Blood stretched from finger to shoulder, and it seemed like the sky was caving in. I reality, only the car had caved in. "What happened?" Beatrice murmured, her voice barely there, her soul barely alive. But then she realized that no one was there; no one was listening. Who was it that had been sitting next to her in the car? Whoever it was, she was still unconscious.

Beatrice tried to push the crumpled door open, and at first it wouldn't budge, but then it just fell off, crumbling to pieces. Beatrice looked across at the person sitting in the passenger seat. Blood dripped from her right eye to the left side of her chin, and her limbs were skewed out in weird angles. Was she dead?

Beatrice tried to move, and then she realized her leg was trapped. After struggling for a while, she managed to set her leg free. When she reached over to carry the other person out of the car, her memory suddenly flashed back to her, her whole life spinning in front of her, everything hitting her at the same time.

Miley.

Miley, the one person who cared about her brother. The one person who took the time to go look for him….the one person to realize that he wasn't dead. Because he couldn't be dead, because he was who he was. He was Mullet Fingers, and he had an inner strength like no one else before him. If they weren't related, she might have fallen for him. But the love they shared, it wasn't that kind of love. It was a kind of love you can count on; a kind of love that never lies. Love between siblings….that is, love that is not based on passions and envy and idolism and objects and images…._that's_ the kind of love this world needed. That was the kind of love you needed to survive. The other kind of love, the romantic, selfish kind of love, well, many people say that it is one of the "needs". But it is no more than a "want", because real love can be found elsewhere. Even when she couldn't see it, Beatrice knew that real love lied in brothers and sisters, mothers and daughter….that kind of thing. And all of those taboo, incest relationships…well, Beatrice would never go for them herself, but really, they made sense, if it was the only thing left. Unless, of course, they turned into something else; something based more on objects than the heart.

Finally Beatrice was able to get out of the car. She struggled to carefully carry Miley out of the car and placed her on the soft grass, far away from the ash that took the place of long decayed flames. Beatrice listened closely. She was breathing, but just barely. Her breath was wavering. For a second it was there, then it was gone, and then it was there again. Beatrice attempted to CPR, to breathe strength back into Miley's lungs, but there was barely any strength left in Beatrice herself. She sat there, minutes away from tears.

But she couldn't let them fall. She couldn't succumb to misery; not again. Look where it had gotten them. She had to be strong, even though she wasn't. She had to force her thin wall to harden; to grow stronger and even more unpenetratable.

She had to stay alive; she had to stay strong even if the people around her couldn't. Forever, it seemed like, the people around her were always falling apart. They were disappearing, with no strength to hold on. They always tugged on her soul….they tugged on her stretchable skin begging her to come with them. But she refused. She hadn't wanted to succumb to pain and misery and blood surrounding her. She didn't want to acquiesce to the cold eyes of the monster-beings that she lived with; and the ones at school who taunted her. Once at school, she watched her teacher fall to the ground, dead from a heart attack. What had the rest of the class done? Burst out in laughter? There were so many acts of cruelty Beatrice could remember, all coming back to her now. She softly sang her favorite song, that she wrote when she was little, that she always sang when she felt she was on the edge of despair, only seconds away from breaking down: (A/N: it is called "Hope Has Wings" by Brie Larson. For those of you who don't know, Brie is the person who played the character of Beatrice in the movie "Hoot".)

_Lalalala _

_When I'm stuck on the ground _

_There's no up; only down _

_Every step sends me falling _

_Not sure how to begin _

_How to rise like the wind _

_So that soon I'll be soaring _

_I just breathe... and let myself believe _

_Cuz hope has wings _

_To carry you _

_Anything _

_Is possible _

_Just might be _

_A miracle _

_Waiting to come true _

_So I lift my eyes _

_And see the sky _

_Feel my heart begin to fly _

_I will be carried by my dreams _

_Cuz hope has wings _

_I can climb through the clouds _

_Far way from my doubt _

_That would be so amazing _

_Feel the sun on my face _

_Such a beautiful place _

_Yeah I know that it's waiting _

_Skating safe... encouraging with faith _

_Cuz hope has wings (hope has wings) _

_To carry you _

_Anything _

_Is possible _

_Just might be _

_A miracle _

_Waiting to come true (come true) _

_So I lift my eyes _

_And see the skies _

_Feel my heart begin to fly (oh fly) _

_I will be carried by my dreams _

_Like a flame, like a spark _

_I'm amazed by the change _

_There's a star in the dark _

_Calling out my name _

_Finally, I can see _

_Now I'm on my way (now I'm on my way) _

_Cuz hope has wings (hope has wings) _

_To carry you _

_Anything (anything) _

_Is possible _

_Just might be _

_A miracle _

_Waiting to come true (come true) _

_So I lift my eyes (lift my eyes) _

_And see the sky _

_Feel my heart (yeah) _

_begin to fly (yeah) _

_I will be carried by my dreams (by my dreams, yeah) _

_I have a new hope that lives in me _

_Anywhere I go it sets me free _

_It shines a light, it's everywhere _

_From north to south, it takes me there _

_I have a new hope that lives in me _

_Anywhere I go it sets me free _

_It shines a light, it's everywhere _

_From north to south, it takes me there _

_Lalalala Lalala... _

Beatrice looked down at Miley, silently willing for her to wake up.

But she didn't, and Beatrice knew that she wouldn't. At least, not now. She was alive, barely hanging in there, but that was enough. That was enough, for now, because as long as a person exists they can will anything to happen. They can hold on, because everyone has inner strength, hiding away. It was more than in the hands of hope, it was in the hands of the hope that fueled the inner strength…the inner light….that allowed each person to go on, no matter how hard it was.

Beatrice straightened out Miley's limbs and wondered what she should do. She couldn't call 911, because she didn't have a phone. They were stranded; had no one seen the car crash into the tree? Maybe sometime later, they would be spotted. Beatrice suddenly realized that her leg hurt. There was blood seeping through her jeans. It was probably broken, or at least twisted or sprained, but it would heal. It wasn't her wounds that were worrying her; Miley was still unconscious.

And the physical wounds, those would heal on their own if they absolutely had to (which they probably did). It was the wounds of the soul that would burn longer and sting harder. Time could never heal the wounds of the soul, because the blood would be constantly dripping out, if there wasn't a lending hand to stop the blood flow.

Beatrice sat there. It was dark, but it probably wasn't the same night as the car crash. She didn't know how much time had passed. Time, well, time was an infinite sort of thing. It didn't have any limits or restrictions. It existed, in all angles, resonating in all shapes and formed. In reality, it could never really exist. It didn't matter how much time went by, because fate would still carry out his plans, no matter how long it took him. Time didn't really have a hand in the matter (at least, not one that made any relevant significance).

And, besides, if they were found, they couldn't keep looking for Mullet Fingers. So, if she wanted to find her brother, Beatrice had to abandon the abandoned car. She vigilantly picked up Miley's fragile body and slowly stood up, holding onto the trunk of some tree. A sharp pain seared through her leg, but she ignored it, limping farther and farther away from the car.

They would travel by foot now, pain and all, a mutual love for Mullet Fingers and the determination to save him before it became too late being the only thing keeping them alive and going.

And in the distance, one last candle burned, flickering on and off, sending out a silent whisper that they were on the right path.


	8. Chapter 8

**Then:** _And, besides, if they were found, they couldn't keep looking for Mullet Fingers. So, if she wanted to find her brother, Beatrice had to abandon the abandoned car. She vigilantly picked up Miley's fragile body and slowly stood up, holding onto the trunk of some tree. A sharp pain seared through her leg, but she ignored it, limping farther and farther away from the car._

_They would travel by foot now, pain and all, a mutual love for Mullet Fingers and the determination to save him before it became too late being the only thing keeping them alive and going._

_And in the distance, one last candle burned, flickering on and off, sending out a silent whisper that they were on the right path._

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**Now: **Beatrice's leg hurt, but she forced herself not to think about it. She ran, carefully holding Miley. Miley was still unconscious, but at least her breathing had improved. By now, what was probably about four days had passed, and they were far, far, away from the totaled car by now. It was almost night time. The Sun was going to go down any minute now, and Beatrice knew she had to find a safe place to sleep. They had been running by forest. Alongside the road there had been a forest. Anywhere the road could take them, the forest could take them. They had run deep, deep into the forest, because, of course, the darker, the better. Traveling by forest, no one would see them, or suspect anything. Because, technically, they had broken the law….since the car was stolen, and it was totaled. And, even though Beatrice's only real parent was dead, and Miley had only came because she was looking for her almost-boyfriend, they were still, well, at least technically, run-aways. And weeks and weeks had gone by by now, and even though Beatrice probably wasn't listed as "missing children" because Lonna would prefer her to be gone (and probably thought she had died from the wound she got when she tried to get in the way of her (Lonna's) plans to kill her father), Miley probably was. So, even though they had good intentions and could take care of themselves (well, Beatrice could; right now Miley was unconscious but Beatrice was sure that in time she would wake up), they had to keep a low-profile so no one would catch them and stop them from finding and saving Mullet Fingers.

Beatrice found a small cave behind a tree and checked it to see if it was sturdy. It would be bad if it went and caved in on them when they were asleep! With all of the problems they had, suffocating to death wouldn't make it any better! Beatrice decided that the cave was probably safe, so she bent down and walked in, and placed Miley down on the soft dirt. Then she left the cave to search around for some wood so she could start a fire so they could be warm. She also searched for a rabbit or something like that to kill so they wouldn't starve. For weeks, neither of them had any food. For a while, Beatrice had been okay, but the past two nights she had been trying to "hunt" so they could have food to eat (well, Miley was unconscious so she couldn't eat, but Beatrice couldn't go on _forever_ without eating.). The past two nights she had been unsuccessful, but she felt good about tonight. She saw a rabbit, and she snuck up from behind it with a stick. Earlier that day she had sharpened the stick with her teeth so it would be ready for tonight. She jabbed the make-shift knife into the rabbit's back, and watched in horror as blood gushed out. She felt sick to her stomach. No, she didn't just do that!! It was hard to watch. It was painful. She had just killed a living being. But she needed to eat! And eating grass just couldn't suffice anymore! Beatrice closed her eyes while the rabbit took its last breath. Then she gingerly picked it up and carried it back to the cave, along with the firewood that she had collected. She started the fire, and then she attempted to cook the rabbit. She didn't really know how, but she did the best she could. She hungrily ripped off a piece of rabbit meat from the dead rabbit and shoved it into her mouth. She felt gross and disgusting and she loathed herself but she was also starving. But she forced herself to only eat a small amount. She didn't want to have to kill another living creature, so she had to make this rabbit last until they found Mullet Fingers and the tide started turning around. Beatrice stuffed the rest of the rabbit in the sac she had found laying around in the woods a couple days back.

That was when Beatrice realized it. A sac. It could just be a random, coincidental sac. When she had found it, she had dismissed it and picked it up, deciding that it would be useful. Anyone could have left the sac there. But probably…there weren't that many people who hung out in the woods…..Beatrice came to a realization….it probably meant that the sac belonged to Mullet Fingers….which meant…he was probably near by…or _had_ been nearby….

There was more hope that he was alive, unless he dropped the sac _because_ he died…..

But that probably wouldn't happen…..

He probably just dropped the sac because he didn't notice that he dropped it…and he was probably nearby….Beatrice felt more determined than ever now to find him….

She hummed the tune to a song that she felt described their situation right now…….

_("Bottom Line" by Ryan Huston)_

_If you wanted could you be a 10 _

_If you loved all, could u love a sin? _

_Final hour would you ask for time? _

_Always last but never falling' behind _

_And I don't care it's all somehow _

_Out of my control right now _

_Sometimes I don't know why it just all does turn out right _

_I don't know what to do or to say _

_And when I find what's behind all of this I'm sure to say _

_What it is what it'll be someday _

_But not today. _

_Love's a lesson, what's the bottom line _

_Is the answer somewhere out to find _

_Late at night is the brightest time of day _

_For someone else yeah they're just far away. _

_And I don't care it's all somehow _

_Out of my control right now _

_Sometimes I don't know why it just all does turn out right _

_I don't know what to do or to say _

_And when I find what's behind all of this I'm sure to say _

_What it is what it'll be someday _

_But not today. _

_And I don't care it's all somehow _

_Out of my control right now _

_Sometimes I don't know why it just all does turn out right _

_I don't know what to do or to say _

_And when I find what's behind all of this I'm sure to say _

_What it is what it'll be someday _

_But not today._

Beatrice finally closed her eyes and fell asleep. Tomorrow would be another day. Maybe they would come closer to finding Mullet Fingers tomorrow; maybe they wouldn't. Maybe Miley would wake up tomorrow; maybe she wouldn't. But Beatrice knew, somehow, that, eventually, it would all work out….because, well….because it had to.

And because there was faith, and there was hope, and there was God. And her father was up there in heaven, because he had been a good guy. And he was watching over her. Beatrice subtly smiled in her sleep, confident that her father, even though he was dead, was still on her side. He was an angel. He was a warrior; he always had been, hanging in there. But now that he was dead, well…he was out of this corrupted world, and he could finally do some good in the next world. (A/N: transitioning to Beatrice's father's POV) And he would always be watching over Beatrice, his only daughter, because he would always love her. He hadn't always acted like it, but he had always felt it. Sometimes, it's harder than one would think to act out their feelings.

He was so proud of his daughter when she had stepped in front of him to try to stop Lonna from killing him, but also he was angry, because he didn't want his only daughter to die because of her. And she didn't. She was strong; she had the same inner strength her biological mother had before she passed away. He smiled, deciding to send her a message in her dreams…

…a message that, just like she said in her song, there would always be hope. She would see an angel in her dream, but he was confident that she would recognize him as her father. He smiled. He was gone now, in a different world, but he had lived his life to the full. It may not have been his time, but it had been fate. And he wasn't going to let his little girl's dreams to be shattered just because he was dead.

Yeah, he had always liked to think that his little girl was "Daddy's Little Girl". And she had been there for him, all the way, taking care of him and making sure he didn't drink too much. She made dinner for him every night, and attempted to mediate between his fights with Lonna. In the end, it didn't work, but she was still strong. She was an angel, living on Earth. She was daddy's little angel. She wasn't all that little anymore; she was strong and she was following her heart.

Yeah, he knew about Mullet Fingers. He knew the whole story; he had just decided to not let his daughter in on the fact that he knew. And he was happy with the fact that her daughter had finally found love, even if it was only brotherly-sisterly love, with her step-brother. But he knew Mullet was more than a step-brother to Beatrice; he was a brother; Beatrice knew no "step" or "half" pre-fixes to put before the word "brother"; she saw him as a brother, and nothing less.

Was there something more? Sometimes, her father thought there was. But the he came back to his senses, even though he decided it would be okay if there was, because they weren't blood-related. But they weren't, and now, as he was watching over his daughter and her new friend, he realized that there were kinds of love worth a lot more than romantic love. He smiled, breathing life into Beatrice's friend. Looking into her heart, he could see that she loved Mullet Fingers, and even though it was in a romantic way, it was more than that. She genuinely cared about him, and more. And it wasn't her time to die. He breathed the Sun rays' energy into her heart and body with all of his love, and watched as warmth connected her soul back with her body. He smiled, knowing he had just saved a friend of a daughter.

He smiled, because even though he was dead, he wasn't useless and worthless. Actually, he could do more good than when he was alive…he could alter the course of destiny and fate….

(Press this button down here and _you'll_ be able to alter the course of destiny and fate...no, really...I'm not kidding!!! no, u won't die; u'll B aBle to do it ALIVE.)


	9. Chapter 9

_(A/N: The pairing is still Miley/Mullet Fingers……no matter what might be subtly implied in this chapter.)_

The next morning, the sun rose. Shadows lingered, surreptitiously. Darkness was a cloak hindering the sunlight; blocking out energy and vitality. Inside a dark cave two bodies slept. They looked peaceful and serene; nature had not the eyes to see that it was no more than a reassuring façade. The wind jostled the leaves of the trees, and a robin chirped, echoing with a strong, sing-song voice. Slowly the figures arose, awaking from lost oblivion. Somewhere in the distance a gray void echoed the truth, but it was far away, and the Universe could not interpret its signal. The two figures walked out of the cave, hand-in-hand, finally triumphing against the darkness, at least temporarily. Neither of them spoke, because words could not help right now. The wind weaved in-between their intertwined fingers, whispering the secrets of the day and night. If you tell your secret to the wind, do not blame the wind for revealing it to the trees.

The two figures walked, their bare feet kicking the dirt, and from above it was obvious that they were thinking, and worrying. Yet at the same time they were relieved, almost content. There was an ethereal beauty to the coming together of nature; for it is legend that the Sun and the Moon were once, a long time ago, brother and sister, and because they bickered way too much, they were separated, the Moon confined to the night. At least, that is the story the children are told. Here is the real story of the Sun and the Moon, the story that is censored and proscribed: The Sun and the Moon were brother and sister; they were best friends and always there for each other. Their love for each other grew to be too strong and passionate; they cared for each other more than they cared about anyone else. They both penetrated different wavelengths of light, but it was light, all the same. Slowly they found themselves falling in love, even though they knew that it was forbidden. Soon they could not avoid each other; Mother Nature banned the Moon, ostracizing it from the marvelous light of the day, forcing it to reign over the night. There were only a few hours, in between night and day, when the Moon and the Sun met as one, their souls complete and intertwined, resonating in quiescent harmony. Yes, they complete each other, their blood is written for each other; it is taboo, but it is beautiful; it is forbidden, but it is pure; it is laughed at, but it is the one, invisible, guiding force to the world….the one, invisible, guiding force to the Universe and all of the lost silhouettes aimlessly wandering, traveling, searching for their soul. Soul searching. There is a reason the best insight and the better answers come around-before and after-dawn. Yes, it is darkest before dawn, because before dawn is the hour of forbidden beauty and forbidden wisdom.

The two figures were lead by the two forces above them, the Sun and the Moon. Together, in perfect unison, the Sun and the Moon radiated beautiful light, a combination of white, yellow, and blue. One of the figures had blond hair and blue eyes, awake from one night's slumber. The other had brown hair and blue eyes, awake from a coma, the soul finally reconnecting with the body, everything traveling back to the place it belongs.

The robin chirped again, again in the same harmonious, sing-song voice, resonating sonorously. The two figures both simultaneously smiled up at the little bird, acknowledging that they were walking in Nature's home; the terrain they stepped on belonged to the little robin and all of his friends. They respected that.

The two figures stared at the Sun and the Moon, mesmerized by their breathtaking beauty. It was rare to see all of the world's light at once, instead of just fifty percent of the world's light. All too often people slept in too late to see such fascinating luminosity. And then it would be gone, in the blink of an eye, taken for granted.

In the forest, it can be taken in, breathed, swallowed, and appreciated. The robin chirped again. It was singing its mellifluous song, a salient melody.

Names weren't important, in the forest.

But names did exist.

Beatrice Leep and Miley Stuart were both awake. They were walking slowly in the beautiful forest. Gazing up at the Sun and the Moon-brother and sister, forbidden lovers _(A/N: the Sun and the Moon, NOT, I repeat, NOT the characters. Again, I repeat, NOT the characters)-_and the brilliance shining down on them, they knew that they would find Mullet Fingers. It was already written in Destiny. It was only a matter of time.

So they continued on their journey, and even when the Moon faded to black and the Sun took over its reign over the day, they still continued to hope. It was written in the blood of the Universe, that all things were possible.

Time passed, and they started to live like the bedouin tribes of the pre-classical time period. Lore was not forgotten, but stored away, and put to use the ways it was needed---no more, and no less. Living in nature became a way of life. They kept hoping they were coming closer and closer to finding Mullet Fingers, but the closer they got, the more desperate they became, and the harder it became to go on.

And surely, people for looking for them. All three of them? Maybe not. Probably not, actually. But Miley Stuart was Hannah Montanah, a famous rock singer. If she was missing, then surely the search would be big. And Mullet Fingers was disguised as a star, Jake Ryan. So maybe they were looking for him, too. Sure, he dyed his hair black, but it is the eyes that cannot lie; and thus his face was still recognizable. And Beatrice? Well, lets put it this way, everyone that she loved and cared about and that loved and cared about her were dead. Well, except for Mullet Fingers, but he was the person they were looking for.

Beatrice heard a voice.

She made herself seem invisible, and listened:

"Hey little bird," she heard the voice say.

She instantly recognized the voice as her brother's voice. She snuck upon him and grabbed his shoulders. "Found you!" she said, as if this whole thing was no more than a blithe, carefree game of hide-and-seek.

"Beatrice?" he asked.

Then Miley appeared.

"Miley?" he asked. Then he said, "How do you guys recognize me?"

Miley said, "Dying your hair as a disguise is almost as bad as that time on the beach when you put on a baseball cap as a disguise so people wouldn't know you were Jake Ryan."

All three of them laughed.

Then Mullet Fingers said, "So you've been looking for this whole time? What has it been, almost two months or something?"

"You've been keeping track of time?" Beatrice asked.

"Yep. Not in the traditional sense, but you know. You just know things like that," Mullet Fingers said.

"_I _don't," Beatrice said.

"Well, you know I'm weird…." Mullet Fingers said, wittily.

There was silence for a while, and then Beatrice said. "She killed him. My….my…father….he's….he's…d…d…d…dead."

No words could comfort, for words were so secular. They embraced each other in a hug, their souls speaking a million words. Tears fell down from Beatrice's eyes; she finally allowed herself to feel the emotion; she wasn't alone, though, she had her brother, and a new friend. They broke away and looked at each other's eyes and smiled.

Then Mullet Fingers walked over to Miley.

Miley smiled. "Living in the woods isn't the only answer," she said softly.

"Maybe it is," Mullet Fingers said.

"No," Miley said, "It isn't. You need more than just the animals and the wildlife. Living in the woods is isolation." There was wisdom in her voice; wisdom penetrating from two months journeying the woods with Beatrice; wisdom from living a lie-two lies-no one really knowing who she was inside.

"What's wrong with isolation?" Mullet Fingers asked.

"It can't hold us up. No matter how hard we try…..no matter how hard anything else is….it's still….I don't know….it's just not the answer…."

Mullet Fingers put a finger on Miley's lips, and they looked into each others' eyes, finally silent, their eyes speaking a million words, and they kissed, all of the words needing to be said falling into place with not _speaking_ a single word at all. They communicated words, almost telepathically, without speaking at all. True love can do that kind of thing, after all.

"Let's try again," Miley said later, "In civilization. You never know, until you try."

Mullet Fingers nodded, reluctantly.

"Not yet, though…." He protested. "Can we stay here a little longer?"

Miley nodded.

The three of them were finally united, and their song resonated in perfect harmony, just like the little robin. Almost coincidentally, the little robin chirped, humming a mellifluous song again…..it was probably not the same robin, but it was a robin, all the same.

But this time he (the robin) was not alone. He sang along with a singing partner, and it was not expected that it would sound harmonious, but it did. Opposite voices blended beautifully, singing with an intense voice, radiating towards the heavens. The raven sang her song; it was dark and mysterious, yet something about its clandestine nature gave it unpenetratable beauty. The song of the robin and the raven came together in perfect unison, and it was nothing less than beautiful.

Miley, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers watched the bird-lovers on a high-up branch, their legs entwined, looking in opposite directions and singing their songs.

"It's beautiful," Miley said softly, pointing to the robin and the raven.

"Yeah," Mullet Fingers and Beatrice said at the same time, their voices in accordance.

And a story was slowly unfolding, just like the robin and the raven.


	10. Chapter 10

_Legend says they were too different species, but they were still in love. Was the robin allowed to mate with the beautiful raven? No one knew for sure, but most people assumed that he couldn't. They all expected him to mate with a lighter bird, for how could a creature so dark be beautiful? A creature that dark could only be sinister, evil, bad news. The raven hides in the shadows. But in the night sky stars resonated. A robin should be with a creature somehow a star, light and beautiful and pure-hearted, they all said. But what if they were wrong? What if the raven the one who was pure-hearted? Mate the robin would, and how resounding his love would echo, and it would not be with a star. The world does not have to know of this eternal paradise; of this darkness burning from within. So what if most no one knew of her, the raven? So what if she was pre-judged; so what if she was a lone bird. Wasn't he the robin, a lone bird himself? Were they not two birds of a feather? Did they not both descend from the same heaven; from the same God?_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

Mullet Fingers stared into Miley's eyes. He couldn't help it but be mesmerized. "You know I love you, right?" he said, with a witty tone.

Miley was glad that she could make him happy. "As long as you know that _I love you_," she said, and they laughed. They started kissing. Beatrice said, "Hey guys, cut it out, for the past couple of days you have been kissing almost 24/7. Aren't you afraid that you're gonna get tired of each other?" but she was only joking, in a light-hearted manner.

Mullet Fingers jestingly pushed Beatrice on the side. "Hey!" she screamed. Soon the three of them got into a mock-pillow-fight. There were no real pillows, of course, but they did the best they could. They through fluffy leaves at each other and jumped behind bushes and snuck up on each other. Miley interrupted the bliss to ask, "When are we going to be going back to Malibu? People are probably worrying, you know."

"Not yet," Mullet Fingers said, "Besides, don't you like it here?"

"Yeah, but you can't just escape reality," Miley said.

"Who said this can't be reality? Nature is real," Mullet Fingers said.

"Well, nature's not the _only _reality," Miley said.

"Well, it's the _better_ reality," Mullet Fingers countered.

"But don't you _get it?_ It's _not _reality if it's not the _only reality_; there's more to life than trees and rivers and fireflies and robins and fish. It's like only being half alive, and if you're half alive, than are you _really_ alive?" Miley tried to explain. Gazing into Mullet's eyes. She couldn't help but be mesmerized. His eyes penetrated past the flesh; they revealed a pure-hearted and beautiful soul.

"So you're saying that a robin is not alive?" Mullet Fingers countered.

"No, no….a robin is alive. It's just….human beings can't just live in the forest. We're not like the robins. We're….we're different," Miley said.

"Better?" Mullet Fingers said, almost condescendingly, mocking his own species.

"No, no that's not what I meant…." Miley tried to correct herself. Nervous, she reached up to play with her hair.

Mullet Fingers looked into her eyes. "I know," he said softly. "I know."

They put the subject on the shelf for now, but they knew they had to get back to it. Eventually.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_The raven finally sang her song, because the robin finally saw her. Their friendship was nothing akin to brother and sister-ish anymore; no, it was much more than that. And there was once a prophecy; but it was never fulfilled. Maybe that was because no one had expected the robin to be there. His role; his role had been very important. Love; love was the only thing that could stop the raven's father._


	11. Chapter 11

_The story told long ago soon became a legend of a different sort; it evolved into a forbidden but beautiful tale; a tale only the mouth of the exotic could crave. Those who saw past the surface; they were the one_ _were blessed with the curse of misunderstood light. Under the raven's black feathered wings was a darkness so dark that the untrained eye was blinded. A sinister orb hidden beneath the unrequited voice echoing from realm was held by the raven's wing. It was mysterious, an unknown lurking in uncharted territory. It was an obscure place; a palace no one dared to enter. Only the robin dared to look and see the veiled light hiding in the raven's dark eyes. And, oh, if the world was to know, they would say, but the raven can only be with the changer; the deceiver; the one who can transform into any being…the one who can be anyone, the one who could deceive without lying. Oh, the world would say, such a dark creature must be involved in such an indigenous web of lies. She, who lives amidst the darkness, must easily be made a fool and fall for the changer. And, oh, the robin, they would say, he must be with the beautiful star. But her beauty is only of the flesh; and although her soul echoes of innocence, she is also naïve; too naïve for the robin. Oh, but she could not possibly understand all of his hidden fears; his true face masked by the jubilance of his red-winged cloak. Oh, and though the star is strong, the raven is stronger._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

Mullet Fingers was awake, even though it was the middle of the night. He watched as his lover, Miley, and his sister, Beatrice, slept, so serenely, their faces so solemn and beautiful. He stared up at the ominous blue moon, smiling at its luminosity; frowning at its omen. He watched as the moon watched over the three of them. He knew that the moon was only a guise; a mere semblance representing all of the beings who have died and went to heaven. He knew that they were watching them…protecting them, yet also envious of what they could never again have themselves. Mullet Fingers was young, but he wasn't naïve. He had wizened to the subtle ways of nature, and he respected them. Sometimes he wished that there was some way he could speak to the eternal beings, just to let them know that he was grateful, that they had chosen to protect him instead of destroying him. It would have been easy, to destroy him.

Mullet Fingers sighed and tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep. Every now and then the night was just too luminous for him to fall asleep and be oblivious to it all. Suddenly Mullet saw the shadow of a creature hiding behind a branch of a tree not that far away. He quietly got up and crept closer, careful not to disturb it. He respected its presence; usually such a creature strayed farther away, high up in the darkest sky of the night. Coming closer, he saw that it was a raven. The raven sat on the branch, its claws gripping the sandy wood not too tightly. It seemed to be staring afar, its glance averted, staring at the moon. Sometimes Mullet wondered why the raven only sang its true song during the night, but, really, he knew why. The raven was a dark creature; she must be, to hide her true identity; she must be, to protect those she loved from getting too close….to protect those she loved from her enemies destroying them. Animals had souls, just like humans did. Some might think that they were far simpler, but in reality they were far more complex. They were mystical, hard to understand, but if one took the time to look deeper, they were beautiful. Mullet listened as the raven started to crow; it was not a loud, agitated sound but rather a bittersweet melody, raw yet somehow gentle. Mullet watched in awe. He wanted to touch the raven but he knew that it would disturb the raven.

Mullet smiled and walked back to his sleeping place, and laid down besides Miley and Beatrice. He was a wanderer, a nomad. He had a restless spirit. Somehow, he knew that the only two people he loved, Miley and Beatrice, knew that and respected it. It felt great that there were actually a few people in the world who could accept him for exactly who he was. With them, he didn't have to wear Jake Ryan's red robin feathers to be loved.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Legend says there will always be a happy ending. But there is more depth to legend than that which is always said and known. Yes, it radiates much deeper, into the orb of the unknown. Smiles would fall on the faces of only those who could accept that it was a bittersweet tale in nature._

_Could the robin and the raven ever be together forever happily ever after? Maybe not. But they could be together the best they could, and maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't fall apart._


	12. Chapter 12

_The demon roared. The portal had not opened like it was supposed to. What had gone wrong? Why didn't the world end? Why hadn't the world been destroyed?_

_But hath the world been destroyed….of whose fault would it have been…surely it could not have been hers….her, the beautiful portal, the lost raven…._

_But was that all she was, a portal? The robin had saved her, but why?_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

The next day, Miley said, "We're going back to Malibu today. This isn't our home. We don't belong here."

Mullet Fingers tried to complain, but Miley was too dogmatic.

And what would they say about Beatrice?

"We'll figure something out. We'll just tell the truth," Miley said. "Don't worry. In the end, everything will turn out alright. Somehow."

"Are you sure?" Beatrice asked.

"We just have to be confident of ourselves," Miley said.

"I don't think _that_ can fix things," Beatrice said.

"Well," Miley said, "It wouldn't hurt."

Mullet Fingers and Beatrice finally conceded. They were going home today. Well, it was home for Miley. Maybe one day it could feel like home for Mullet Fingers and Beatrice. Maybe it never would. Maybe they were nomads at heart. Maybe. But they were still children; none of them could live on their own just yet. It didn't work that way, even if it could. Maybe physically it could work, but emotionally, every person needs another person that they could look to for guidance.

Love.

But it was more than that.

Purity, maybe. And hope.

Maybe Miley was a nomad at heart, too. But she was also Hannah Montana. And she wasn't quite ready to throw that away. She wondered what Mullet was going to do about Jake Ryan. He had to have created him for a reason…a reason more than a disguise….so he could be loved; so he could express his soul, something…..

….and she secretly hoped he wouldn't throw it away….

….because she was still in love with….both sides of him.

oOoOoOoooooOoOoOoOooooOoOoOooOoOOoOOooOOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoooooO

_The raven and the robin sat in the darkness, their meditation echoing for the whole world to see. They sat inside the mirror; it was more than her mind; it existed past Nevermore…_

…_for they were destined to be together, forevermore…_


	13. Chapter 13

_And then there was the changer. He always seemed to be telling jokes or playing flippant pranks. He was never one and the same. By name, he was, well, always changing. There was one thing that was consistent: the soft earth. He had seen her as beautiful; he had fallen in love with her. But it had been a mistake; for all too soon, the earth was transformed to stone. Yes, the changer could hide that he was hurting inside, because he was lighthearted at nature, but it still pained him that the earth had betrayed him. Oh, she had. But then she turned around, and was good again. She sacrificed herself, for the changer. For the changer, and for the universe itself._

_The others could sense his pain, for they were not stupid. The whole forest grew silent, watching. Because that was all they could really do: watch, until his pain waned._

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Back at home, the Stewarts were panicking. The police had put missing person signs up, but that didn't settle anyone's nerves. Lilly seemed to be calmer than everyone else about it, and it seemed like she might know something, but when she wouldn't speak about it, no one further bugged her about it.

Weeks had passed and they were starting to worry that Miley and Jake were gone for good. Oliver had jokingly suggested that maybe they ran away together, like Romeo and Juliet or something like that, but Lilly said that that was nonsense.

Had they been kidnapped?

If not, why did they run away? If they did run away, could they really make it on their own? They might not have even run away together; it could just be a coincidence that they were both missing. Alone in such a big, dangerous world, who knew what could have happened to them? Miley could have been raped. They could have been killed.

Oliver was starting to grow more and more despondent. Almost five weeks had gone by. That was more than a month.

"They'll be fine," Lilly said to Oliver.

"How do you know that?" Oliver asked, staring at the ground.

"I…I just do. They're strong; both of them are. Whatever happened to them, they'll make it through it," Lilly said.

Oliver continued to stare at the ground. Lilly put her hand on Oliver's shoulder. "Oliver, look at me," she said. "They'll be okay. Really," she said.

Oliver looked into Lilly's eyes. Why hadn't he noticed before? They were so vibrant, so blue. "How can you be so sure?" he asked. He felt like the world around him was fading; nothing made sense anymore. He couldn't joke his way out of this one. Two of his best friends were gone; it had been more than a month…that didn't look too good. What if they weren't alive? It was all his fault. He should have known something was up when Jake asked him to buy black hair-dye. Why had he listened? More importantly, why hadn't he listened more closely, and noticed that something was wrong?

"Let's go to the beach," Lilly said.

"No…" Oliver said.

"You're acting like….you're acting like Clark Kent from that TV show Smallville. Like when he's just sitting in his barn and moaning about Lana and about his father being dead instead of going out and doing something about it," Lilly said.

"Since when have you watched Smallville?" Oliver asked.

"I don't….but I've seen an episode or two," Lilly said. "Come 'on….just sitting here being depressed isn't going to bring either of them back any sooner."

"Fine. I guess you're right," Oliver said.

They walked down to the beach. They were a little surprised to see a robin. Robins usually lived in forested areas….not wide-open spaces, like the beach. But there was nothing bad about change. After all, _life_ is about change….sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful, but most of the times it's both.

oOoOoooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOooooOoOoOoOooOoOOoOoOoOoOo

_Somewhere in the distance a raven was singing. No one had known the raven could sing, because all she ever did was sit in her room and meditate._

oOoOoooooOoooooOoOooOoOoOoOoOoOOoOoooOoooOoooOOOoOooOooooOOOo

Miley was gathering all of their things.

"I really don't know about this," Mullet Fingers said.

"We have to," Miley said. "People are worrying about us."

"Not me. They're not worrying about me," Mullet Fingers said.

Miley slapped Mullet (half jokingly). "Of _coursed_ they are. Are you stupid? Because I don't think you are. Because they might not know about Mullet Fingers, but they are sure wondering what happened to Jake Ryan," she said.

"But I'm _not_ Jake Ryan," Mullet said.

"But people _think_ you are. And once you create a person…you can't just abandon that person and let him drop off the face of the planet!" Miley said.

Mullet Fingers stared into Miley's eyes. She was right, but he didn't want to admit it.

"I guess you're right," Mullet Fingers finally said.

In about three hours they were ready to start walking home. It would take about a week or two, if they didn't hitch-hike. But something told them that they shouldn't hitch-hike. Maybe it was easier; maybe it took less energy, but it definitely wasn't safer. They didn't have perfect instincts, they couldn't judge at the second whether a person was good or bad. They couldn't risk making a fatal error.

So they started walking home, their hands joined, united for now….

oOoOoOoOoooOoOoOoOoOoOoooOoooOoooOoOoOoOoOoooOoOoooOoOoOoooOo

"_You have to be willing to fall," the robin had said._

"_I'm not afraid. You know that," the raven had said._

"_I know. You don't do fear, is that it?" the robin replied._

"_Maybe. But that doesn't matter in the end," the raven said._

"_The end never came," the robin said._

"_Thanks to you," the raven said._

"_No," the robin said, "thanks to you. The whiteness inside your soul; the power of your heart. You rose above him because ultimately good will always defeat evil."_

"_I don't think so," the raven said._

"_But here we are. Standing here," the robin said._

_Music played:_

_From underneath the trees, we watch the sky_

_Confusing stars for satellites_

_I never dreamed that you'd be mine_

_But here we are, we're here tonight_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_And I'm singing_

_Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_And in the air the fireflies_

_Our only light in paradise_

_We'll show the world they were wrong_

_And teach them all to sing along_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_(I'm alive)_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_And as we lie beneath the stars_

_We realize how small we are_

_If they could love like you and me_

_Imagine what the world could be_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_When nobody died..._

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_We'd see the day, we'd see the day_

_When nobody died_

_We'd see the day, we'd see the day_

_When nobody died_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_


End file.
